Dirk's Thai Curry

The recipe here is for a chicken curry, but pescotareans like my good mate Paul can make this with fish or vegetables instead (try it with carrot, butternut squash, green beans and cauliflower - or any good firm fish / shellfish you like). This recipe begins with making a Thai Curry paste. There’s a lot of wee things to buy, but you can make it in bulk and freeze the rest for later. It should keep for a couple of months in an average home freezer or about a week in the fridge.

Shopping list for the curry paste:
Fresh ginger - a 2” piece about the thickness of your thumb - peeled and finely chopped; 3 fat cloves of garlic -peeled and finely chopped; a good handful of fresh coriander leaves and their stems - washed and chopped; 1 tsp each of whole coriander seeds and cumin seeds; 1 shoot of fresh lemon grass, finely chopped; a good handful of dried shrimps (try a Chinese supermarket for these); 2 tbs of Thai fish sauce; 1 tbs light soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 3 medium mild red chillis and 1 small hot green chilli - deseeded and finely chopped; 1 large or 3 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tbs of sunflower oil.

Method:
Soak the dried shrimps in warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes. Then remove from the water and finely chop. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds for a minute in a hot, non-stick frying pan - just toss them around a bit to stop them from burning. Remove the pan and leave to cool a little. You should really be able to smell the seeds now. Bung all of the ingredients together into a food processor (except the oil) and blitz for about a minute. Then add 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil and mix in well. Chill in the fridge for an hour or two to give the flavours a chance to get to know each other. (You can freeze it at this stage too).

Shopping list for the curry:
1 chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs per person (or of course a good portion of mixed veg or fish per person); 1 block of condensed coconut milk or 1 tin of coconut milk; 1/2 a large shallot per person; 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Method:
Slice the chicken pieces so you get around 8~10 slices per person. If you're using chicken thighs, remove from the bone. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan over a medium to high heat and sear the chicken. Do this in batches if you need to. Add the finely sliced shallot and cook until golden and soft. (If using vegetables in place of chicken, chop them roughly and lightly saute them in the pan now.) Put the chicken back in the pan and add one large tablespoon of the curry paste per 2 people. Dissolve the coconut block in water and add to the pan, or pour in the coconut milk, if using. Bring the pan to a light boil, cover and simmer very gently on a low heat, for around 15 minutes - until the chicken (or veg) is fully cooked through. If you're using fish, add it after the coconut milk and cook for just a few minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or noodles and some stir-fried pak choi.